The concept of collapsible or foldable handsaws is generally well known and the subject of numerous prior art patents. It should be noted that the inventor of the invention disclosed herein was also the inventor and patentee of a collapsible handsaw disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,191,648. This previously patented handsaw has been manufactured since the issuance of the noted patent and continues to be manufactured and sold to date. The most significant drawback of a handsaw constructed in accordance with the noted patent is that the latch 16 is expensive to manufacture and adds disproportionately to the overall weight of the arrangement.
There have been numerous approaches by others to the concept of a collapsible handsaw since the above noted patent. The most common approach appears center around the inclusion of some form of a fulcrum type frame arrangement and a number of the approaches are depicted in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,287,922, 4,186,785, 3,954,127, and 4,779,345. A variation of the fulcrum type frame arrangement for a saw blade is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,637,141. The idea of including an over-center type latch arrangement in the frame for a saw blade is shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,580,344 and 5,208,986, and the idea of a portable handsaw as a component of another piece of camping equipment is depicted in U.S. Pat. No. 4,896,804.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved compact collapsible handsaw which is economical, light weight, and includes a frame for the arrangement which provides for securely maintaining the handsaw in the erected condition while also providing at least one handle and means for tensioning of the saw blade. The lightweight and compact collapsible handsaw of the instant invention is not disclosed or anticipated by any prior art devices of which we are aware.